Soloing ice climber Carl Hawkins remembered for his zest for life

(Pictured) Twenty-six year old Ice climber Carl Hawkins passed away tragically when he fell soloing on a popular ice climbing route on Cascade Mountain in Banff on Christmas Day, 2018. He is remembered by his co-workers at Valhalla Pure Outfitters Canmore for his zest for life, charm and sense of humour. Photo submitted.5ntpXXD5gHrTQ2+D6RFag+Apf7VrnuRH

Twenty-six year old Ice climber Carl Hawkins was killed tragically when he fell soloing off a popular ice climbing route on Cascade Mountain in Banff on Christmas Day, 2018. He was recently remembered by his co-workers at Valhalla Pure Outfitters Canmore and family for his zest for life, charm and quirky sense of humour.

Banff RCMP released a press statement stating that at approximately 11:00 a.m. they responded to a 911 call of a sudden death of a male ice-climbing on a popular route on the Cascade Falls.

Hawkins worked at Valhalla Pure Outfitters on Main Street in Canmore, and lived in his van behind Save-On-Foods.

“He was pronounced deceased on scene, and the initial investigation revealed he had succumbed to his injuries which were the result of falling a significant distance down the ice climb,” said Banff RCMP.

Soloing is a style of climbing in which the climber climbs alone, without the assistance of a belay, relying entirely on his or her ability instead.

Cascade Falls is a 300-metre climb which can seen from the Trans-Canada Highway driving west from Calgary to Banff, it is popular as the approach takes less than 10 minutes. Many climbers have died on the route in the past, it is not considered by climbers to be a hard route, but one that has a lot of exposure with avalanche threat.

“It is with great sadness that we share that on December 25th, 2018, Carl Hawkins, beloved son, brother, partner, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend to so many, was fatally injured in a climbing accident in Banff, Alberta,” said a statement from the Hawkins family.

Banff RCMP said last week the matter remains under investigation and they are looking into possible casual factors, as that may be of significant interest to prevent a similar tragedy among the climbing community, and looking into the type of equipment used and the condition of said equipment.

This death adds to a number of deaths recorded in the Canadian Rockies in 2018, including a rock climber on Yamnuska, a rock climber on Tunnel Mountain, a hiker on East end of Rundle Mountain, a hiker near Rawson Lake and a hiker in Kananaskis Country.

According to the Valhalla Pure Outfitters Canmore Facebook page a friend of the Hawkins family has started a GoFundMe page to help Carl’s parents with some of their costs and to give them an opportunity to memorialize him as they wish.

“It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of a beloved member of our Valhalla family on December 25th. Carl was a passionate climber, van dweller and a great friend. His zest for life, quirky sense of humour and all around charm were something truly special. He will be greatly missed. We send our deepest, heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and anyone lucky enough to know him.”